by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Sunday, December 15.
- What could North Korea’s ‘Christmas gift’ to the US be? (“Most experts who spoke to CNN believe North Korea’s most likely next step will be an attempt to use a rocket to launch a satellite into orbit.”)
- Gove Rules Out Scottish Independence Referendum: U.K. Politics
- UK PM Johnson eyes parliament vote before Christmas to ‘get Brexit done’
- Johnson is warned his big win will not speed up Brexit deal (“PM’s majority won’t help him achieve his aims in the time frame he set himself, former ambassador to EU says”)
- The UN Climate Negotiations Are Officially a Disaster and the US Helped Screw It Up (“I’ve been attending these climate negotiations since they first started in 1991, but never have I seen the almost total disconnection we’ve seen here.” Ugh.)
- UN climate talks end with limited progress on emissions targets (That’s not going to cut it.)
- White House Sharply Restricts Number of Officials on Trump’s Calls With Foreign Leaders
- China suspends planned tariffs scheduled for Dec. 15 on some U.S. goods
- Trump’s Bad. Sadly, He’s Not Alone.
- On Verge Of Impeachment Vote, First-Term, Moderate Democrats Weigh A Political Risk (The issue isn’t that they are “moderate,” whatever that means, the issue is that they are in “purple” districts and are worried about reelection.)
- “She Definitely Has Control of Everything”: Inside Nancy Pelosi’s 3D Impeachment Chess Game (“With a momentous vote approaching next week—and her eyes on 2020—the Speaker is hedging toward her moderate members with the trade deal and drug pricing. It’s a political command performance—if it works.”)
- Trump pushes to rack up political wins as impeachment looms
- The lies have it: Republicans abandon truth in Trump impeachment defence
- Republicans aim to avoid war with White House over impeachment strategy (They should be more concerned with upholding their oaths of office, but they’re not.)
- Trump urges Rep. Van Drew, anti-impeachment Democrat, to switch parties
- South Jersey Democratic Congressman Jeff Van Drew, impeachment foe, expected to become a Republican
- Melania Trump Thinks Greta Thunberg Had POTUS Attack Coming (Donald and Melania, what a pair, eh?)
- Hallmark Channel bows down to conservatives & drop Zola ads featuring lesbian brides (“The network is apparently not so ‘open’ to the idea of having LGBTQ+ people represented on its channel as they claimed.”)
- Vandalism at synagogue in Beverly Hills, California, investigated as possible hate crime
- ABC News had the goods on Jeffrey Epstein years ago — and killed the story (“In leaked video, Amy Robach of ABC News says she had ‘everything’ on Jeffrey Epstein in 2016; network killed it”)
- Impeach. (NY Times editorial board calls for impeachment of Donald Trump.)
- Trump’s impeachment vote will be depressingly partisan. But his removal shouldn’t be.
- ‘I’m not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here’: Graham predicts Trump impeachment will ‘die quickly’ in Senate
- SNL’s Greta Thunberg Goes After Trump: Don’t ‘Step to Me’ or Else
- ‘S.N.L.’ Presents Kellyanne Conway’s ‘Marriage Story,’ Plus Baby Yoda
- The Washington Post Editorial Board interviews 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg
- Booker leads other 2020 Dems in petition urging DNC to change debate qualifications
- Tom Steyer Badly Wants to Get Rid of Donald Trump, But Is He the Democratic Candidate To Do It?
- Biden gets polling boost heading into next Democratic debate
- Boris Johnson’s landslide victory rattles Democratic primary
- Booker scales back campaign in New Hampshire
- Bernie Sanders calls Pete Buttigieg’s health care plan ‘a failed idea’
- Spanberger turns to tough reelection bid in Trump district (“After a year in Congress, the Democrat from Virginia reflects on the highs and lows.”)
- Rep. Denver Riggleman is being himself (Yep, a right-wing extremist, denier of fact and reality, etc.)
- Nominating Contests Take Shape in Virginia
- Opinion/Commentary: GOP is left behind by changing demographics (“The GOP’s biggest gift to Virginia Democrats has been — and will continue to be — a president who alienates suburban dwellers, minorities and women while stubbornly insisting on fealty. Virginia is demographically a suburban-dominated state. Trump is one tough sell outside the state’s relatively shrinking rural electorate.”)
- Opinion/Commentary: It’s time for Virginia to end the death penalty
- Editorial: No sanctuary necessary (“Unenforceable ordinances may offer comfort, but they are no substitute for engaging in the legislative process to find compromise solutions that serve the commonwealth.”)
- Physicians group files complaint against UVa for using live animals in surgery training
- Editorial: We applaud the funding proposal for early childhood learning
- Senator Adam Ebbin to Propose Worker Protections for Major Development-Related Projects
- The Proposed Virginia Redistricting Amendment Is a Bad Deal That Needs To Be Rejected.
- Chris Hurst: A family-friendly economy is good for business
- Arlington County Board Unanimously Approves Its 2020 Legislative Proposals
- Amazon gets final approval for its new HQ in Arlington County, despite protest by organized labor (“Twin 22-story towers are set to rise in Pentagon City in the next three years.”)
- Opinion/Editorial: City ought not renege on agreement
- Hampton plans spring start for upgrades at Buckroe Beach boardwalk, park
- Richmond Councilwoman proposes new statue honoring black Union soldiers on Monument Avenue
- Plenty of sun and dry today; wintry mix possible late tonight
